Sorry for the delay - Baby Achi birth story

[achi]

I'm sorry it's taken me to long to get this up. Finding motivation is hard AF right now!

TL;DR - Miles Thomas arrived at 9:16 am weighing 8 lbs 15 oz on Wednesday February 24th. The c-section was textbook, but I hemmoraged in recovery and needed a lot of help to get it under control. Almost two weeks out, Miles is gaining weight, pees every time his diaper comes off (something DS1 hardly ever did) and I'm on major iron supplements trying to get my hemoglobin numbers up. I've healed really well from the surgery, but get weak/out of breath just taking a shower. DS1 is absolutely smitten with DS2 and has been a really great helper. DH has been really helpful and I'm dreading him going back to work on the 15th. 

Full version:

As planned, the night before I happily drugged myself with Benadryl and had a decent-ish sleep. As much as one can get the night before having a baby, haha. DS1 went to MILs after dinner so we could have a quiet night. Since I wasn't allowed to eat after midnight and an empty stomach usually made me throw up, I slept until the last possible second before we headed off to the hospital. Unfortunately, they didn't have my postpartum room ready right away so I had to go up and hang out in L&D triage while H sat in the car. They got me prepped and H was finally allowed to come up. I was a bit nervous about the spinal since my epidural with DS1 was wearing off towards the end of the c-section and I could feel them closing. We met the anesthesiologist who sort of listened to my concerns and promised he would "do his best" on the way out the door. Not super inspiring. We finally headed over to the OR and everything moved very very fast. Once I sat down on the table I burst into tears. It had been such a long road to get to delivery and I was simultaneously relieved, terrified, grateful, just all the feels. My nurse was a total rockstar and held me so tight while the spinal was placed. It took him a bit to get it to go down both legs, but he got it after repeatedly telling me to stop moving (I was shaking uncontrollably). Once I laid down I started to feel like I was hurl so they quickly pushed something through my IV and I started to feel better. They brought H in and he held my hand. My midwives came over and talked us through everything that was happening. They used an Alexis o-ring retractor which I had never heard of before but is supposed to help with lower rates of infection, faster healing, etc. Once they got into the uterus DS2 was eyes open, and using his hands to try to escape the sac apparently. He was born at 9:16 am screaming away. I burst out sobbing and was so incredibly relieved that it was over. They delayed cord clamping for just over a minute while DS took some pictures of him still attached. They lowered the drape as much as possible (per my request) but I still couldn't see anything. They took him over to the warmer and his apgars were 8 and 9. They finally got him all bundled up and my midwife held him up so we could be cheek to cheek while I continued crying and trying to collect myself. Miles kept grabbing at the oxygen mask and pushing it into my eyes, and when he wasn't doing that he was sucking on his fingers. They closed and took me over to recovery.

In recovery everything was going really well. Miles latched really quickly and had a very forceful suck. My vitals were all really good and then they weren't. They couldn't get a blood pressure reading and discovered that I was bleeding really heavily. The midwives and nurses quickly handed the baby to H, lowered my head and started forcefully massaging my stomach (thankfully the spinal was still very much functional). The next thing I heard was something that sounded like a waterfall and the words "that's a lot of blood." The next thing I knew they were injecting me with something to slow the bleeding. That didn't work so they asked if they could insert some other kind of medicine in my rectum. That didn't work. More people came into the room, including the OB that did the section and they inserted some kind of ballon inside my uterus which they inflated with saline to put pressure on the walls and slow the bleeding from the inside out. They also placed a second IV in case they had to urgently give me more meds (or blood) and I was told I wouldn't be able to eat or drink in case the OB had to go back in for exploratory surgery. Of everything that was happening, the no drinking was what bothered me because I was so parched. The balloon thing worked and they finally transferred me to my postpartum room - but still no food or water. The nurses came and did vitals checks what felt like every 5 minutes. They couldn't get a reading on my upper arm so they needed up having to try my calf, thigh, and were finally able to get (very low) readings on my forearm. All afternoon they kept telling me I couldn't eat or drink. I begged for even a single ice chip, but no. Finally the nurse left us alone for a bit and I guzzled H's water. I gave exactly zero fucks. I have never been so thirsty in my entire life.

Finally once things were settled with me, the midwives and nurses felt that DS2's breathing more laboured than it should be and took him to the special care nursery for observation and H went with him. Thankfully I had harvested a lot of colostrum so they were able to give that to him to keep him full while he was away from me. They suctioned him out a bit more and put him on a CPAP and we finally got him back around 9 pm. While he was there the paediatrician noticed that he had a small dimple on his low back which can be a marker for scoliosis. She booked an ultrasound for the next morning.

Night 1 was pretty typical, DS2 slept for several hours, fed for awhile and slept the rest of the night. They drew my hemoglobin in the morning and it was 88 - low but just the start. DS2 had his ultrasound and everything came back perfect. Turns out a dimple was just a dimple in this case (he also has a big one on his right cheek). I was so tired. I felt like I was in a fog and everything was happening around me. At that point they still had me bedridden with the catheter and uterine balloon in. The spinal had worn off and it was so uncomfortable. I felt like I had to pee and poop constantly from the pressure. They eventually let me sit in a chair for awhile but that was it. The day passed by in a blur of blood pressure checks, more blood work, more uterine massages, constant checking on the blood output, etc. The OB that came on call was part of the same practice I saw, but is a woman I went to high school with who was definitely a mean girl. I had heard lots of good things about her from a lot of women in my city, but it wasn't a run-in I hoped for. She recognized me immediately when she came in the room (ugh). Turns out her daughter is 2 years younger than DS1, she lives in our neighbourhood, and her daughter is starting at DS1's school in September. She agreed to take the uterine balloon out, but she wanted to remove half the saline first to see how I responded before taking the whole thing out. The bleeding remained under control and she finally took it out. She came by before the shift changed and said she'd see me on the school yard. I cringed internally. Clearly we can be all like "remember that time that you removed that balloon thing from my vagina? Good times." Pass.

Night two was a a shit show of cluster feeding. The postpartum wing was super busy and they ended up having to convert some rooms (including mine) into doubles in the middle of the night. As in it was 3:30 am, I had just been asleep for an hour after a 4 hour feed and the nurses started turning on all the lights, moving in a bed, a cot, a bassinet, etc. I was so exhausted I broke down and bawled into a towel (I didn't want the other mom to hear me or feel bad because it was totally not her fault, and I assume she was as unhappy about the situation as I was). I may have snapped at the nurse that we were leaving AMA the next day if we had to because there was not way I was spending another night "like this." Not my finest moment.

The next morning my hemoglobin numbers had bottomed out/stabilized at 66, which is really low. The medical team was talking about me having to stay a 3rd night because I had apparently refused both a blood and iron transfusion when they had been offered to me the day before. I was pretty pissed about that and H took them to school. Not only had I signed off saying I consented to blood products on the c-section form, but they never actually presented the option of a transfusion to me. The nurses and on-call doctor left the room and talked in the hallway before getting me my transfusions. They knew how badly I wanted to get out of there so there was a lot of discussion about whether or not they should discharge me, or make me leave AMA because (according to my midwife) they thought maybe I was lying about how I was feeling so they would let me out. I had to assure them over and over that I was going home to rest, that H was going to basically do everything, and that if I started to get dizzy or the bleeding picked up that I'd come back. Leaving the hospital was pretty much the best feeling ever.

Sorry - that was super long and if you've made it this far you deserve a really really big cupcake. Other than the whole haemorrhage, my recovery has been really easy. I've had hardly any pain from the actual incision. The staples were out the Tuesday after birth and my incision has been perfect. I stopped taking even tylenol/motrin by under 1 week out. I am taking a pretty high dose of iron to get my hemoglobin up. I still get winded when I take a shower or even by the time I finish making DS's school lunch. H is scheduled to go back to work on Monday and I'm not sure how I'm going to do getting DS1 to school. I'm going to try just going with H and the boys for a day or so and see how that goes. If I'm struggling with that then we'll see about getting MIL involved in the AM school run.

Anyhow, I hope everyone is holding in there!

[madDawg228]

I "graduated" over 7 months ago, but I still try to keep up with the pregnancies from my time on this board - and plot if a baby #2 is a good idea, lol.

Congratulations! You were such a rockstar with all of the hiccups that came your way. I'm so happy that you are having a relatively good recovery. Thank you for sharing your journey!

[jennistarr1]

Wow that is a story...scary and uncomfortable. My postpartum stays, with baby and when I returned solo for preeclampsia...were VERY comfortable which made it all so soothing despite it all. That's what you deserved. I had NO idea they ever did doubles in a room. So awkward!!! Did you talk with the other mom at all or just pretended each other weren't there?

My postpartum nurse we figured out we knew each other like 10 different ways...but she was very nice and not mean girl at all. I cannot imagine one of those girls in that role for me...uh uh no way!!!

[achi]

Mar 8, 2021 21:56:45 GMT -5 madDawg228 said:

I "graduated" over 7 months ago, but I still try to keep up with the pregnancies from my time on this board - and plot if a baby #2 is a good idea, lol.

Congratulations! You were such a rockstar with all of the hiccups that came your way. I'm so happy that you are having a relatively good recovery. Thank you for sharing your journey!

Thank you so much! I definitely don’t feel like I was a rockstar, lol. I’m pretty sure I was a miserable whiny bitch for most of my pregnancy. I’m just so thankful to be on the other side of it all!

[achi]

Mar 8, 2021 23:05:31 GMT -5 jennistarr1 said:

Wow that is a story...scary and uncomfortable. My postpartum stays, with baby and when I returned solo for preeclampsia...were VERY comfortable which made it all so soothing despite it all. That's what you deserved. I had NO idea they ever did doubles in a room. So awkward!!! Did you talk with the other mom at all or just pretended each other weren't there?

My postpartum nurse we figured out we knew each other like 10 different ways...but she was very nice and not mean girl at all. I cannot imagine one of those girls in that role for me...uh uh no way!!!

Honestly, it didn’t feel as bad as it was when it was happening. Writing it all down and reflecting back on it - it was a lot.

Our L&D unit is only set up for 1 double postpartum room which almost never gets used. The rest are all singles and al the actual labour rooms are singles as well. Moms stay in their labour room until about 2 hours after birth and then they go to a PP room until discharge. Naturally it was baby mania that day and the ward had to start diverting moms to another nearby hospital. When they converted the room they installed curtains so we never actually laid eyes on the other couple but it was still just super awkward having to share a bathroom with another woman after birth and constantly feeling like H and I had to whisper so we wouldn’t disturb them. It was their first and like most new parents they had no idea what the hell they were doing.

Thankfully just like with DS1, the GD completely resolved and DS2 was able to manage his sugars without issue. I haven’t needed any insulin and have been able to stop monitoring my sugars. I have a repeat 2 hour GTT that I’ll need to do around 6 weeks out, but because of COVID (and because we live so close to the lab) I’ll be able to chug the drink and go home until it’s time for the draw (not sure how it works elsewhere but PP they only do the fasting and 2-hour blood draw here). Baby also had super low bilirubin numbers so jaundice wasn’t even a question. My body feels infinitely better and I don’t feel like a raging bitch all the time. DS1 has been such a good big brother. At 5.5 he’s been really helpful and is actually kind of obsessed with understanding how breast milk is made and making sure I’m drinking water all the time. It’s kind of adorable.

[madDawg228]

Mar 8, 2021 23:51:34 GMT -5 achi said:

Mar 8, 2021 21:56:45 GMT -5 madDawg228 said:

I "graduated" over 7 months ago, but I still try to keep up with the pregnancies from my time on this board - and plot if a baby #2 is a good idea, lol.

Congratulations! You were such a rockstar with all of the hiccups that came your way. I'm so happy that you are having a relatively good recovery. Thank you for sharing your journey!

Thank you so much! I definitely don’t feel like I was a rockstar, lol. I’m pretty sure I was a miserable whiny bitch for most of my pregnancy. I’m just so thankful to be on the other side of it all!

You went through a lot to get your pregnancy, then had to deal with GD and a few other things if I remember correctly, then you went through a medical ordeal after delivery, had to share a recovery room, and all of this was in the middle of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC (which we are still in)!

Considering ALL of that - you handled it AMAZINGLY! And you typed all of your birth experience out just under two weeks postpartum? Fucking Rockstar status in my book!

[corgimom]

Wow, what a story! Thank you for sharing!
You've really handled everything your pregnancy and delivery has thrown at you with such grace! I'm so glad that everything worked out and you were all able to go home and continue your recovery there. I hope you are still doing okay!

[achi]

Mar 12, 2021 2:34:42 GMT -5 corgimom said:

Wow, what a story! Thank you for sharing!
You've really handled everything your pregnancy and delivery has thrown at you with such grace! I'm so glad that everything worked out and you were all able to go home and continue your recovery there. I hope you are still doing okay!

Thank you!! We’re doing pretty well. Miles is gaining well and has already outgrown all his newborn stuff but the tongue tie is still an issue. We’re having it revised next week so hopefully that will help.

My incision is totally healed and honest I sometimes forget I just had major abdominal surgery less than 3 weeks ago. In general I am feeling fewer side effects of the blood loss. We’ll check the hemoglobin numbers in another few weeks and make a plan from there. They don’t want to check my levels too early/often since I’m not exactly operating with a ton of extra blood.

[4speedy]

Congratulations to your entire family! 

I don’t usually read this board but I mis clicked and ended up here by mistake.  I love a birth story so what the heck...  It’s too funny that you mentioned the retractor used on you by manufacturer’s name, lol. I was a sales rep for the company who launched the Alexis retractor about 16-17 years ago.  I think I still have a crappy prototype in my basement that we used to train doctors with.  I hope you had a good experience with it and continue to have a gentle recovery.

[achi]

May 6, 2021 23:52:39 GMT -5 4speedy said:

Congratulations to your entire family! 

I don’t usually read this board but I mis clicked and ended up here by mistake.  I love a birth story so what the heck...  It’s too funny that you mentioned the retractor used on you by manufacturer’s name, lol. I was a sales rep for the company who launched the Alexis retractor about 16-17 years ago.  I think I still have a crappy prototype in my basement that we used to train doctors with.  I hope you had a good experience with it and continue to have a gentle recovery.

Lol, too funny! I didn’t end up with an infection and had a way easier recovery than my first c-section so kudos on a great product. Would definitely recommend 👍🏻